*By now you should know that The Dreadful Yawns are releasing Take Shape, their latest record for Exit Stencil Records this Spring. But did you know that there may be a second Yawns record out this year? Word from Team Yawns is that the local label Van Gogh Round will be putting out a disc of early recordings by principal Yawns songwriter and vocalist, Ben Gmetro. For a preview of Take Shape, you can head over to The Dreadful Yawns’ myspace where they’ve released videos for three tracks: “Catskill,” “Saved,” and “Queen and The Jokester.”

*The latest signing by Cleveland’s Exit Stencil Records, Hot Cha Cha is currently featured on WFMU’s Beware of the Blog in their dump it or pump it feature. If you haven’t seen or heard Hot Cha Cha yet, let me say this, I have it on good authority (and no it wasn’t some loudmouth at the bar proclaiming “Hot Cha Cha F’n Rule”) that the ladies in Hot Cha Cha are putting on some of the finest shows in town these days. As the saying goes, vote early and vote often.

*How’s this for a blast from Cleveland’s Rock ‘N’ Roll past? The one time Cleveland, now St. Louis based label, Scat Records, recently released a brand new single by the ex-pats in Prisonshake. “The Nice Price” is available in both a standard and deluxe limited edition format directly from Scat Records, and is also available as a digital download from eMusic. The band’s first full length since 93’s The Roaring Third, titled Dirty Moons, will be out later this year.